Students, teaching staff safety

Educational institutions neglect security
Karachi, Jan 27: Despite the issuance of security guidelines for educational
institutes by the government in view of the deteriorating law and order
situation, most school administrations have completely ignored the Physical
Security Plan (PSP).

Last month, educational institutes in the
metropolis had received serious threats from anti-state elements who threatened
the administrations of bomb blasts and other violent activities within the
premises.

Due to these threats, all public and private educational
centres announced unofficial holidays before the winter vacations. The
government on the other hand calked out the PSP for the safety of students and
teaching staff. However, this was never implemented as per the described
guidelines, it has been learnt.

The government's directive for
implementing the PSP includes clauses such as raising the boundary walls up to a
height of eight feet, protection of personnel, restricted entry for unauthorised
individuals, installation of surveillance cameras at strategic locations, fire
extinguishers and training of teaching and administrative staff among other
measures. Moreover, all students, teachers and non-teaching staff were asked to
carry identity cards.

As per the extra security measures for the
educational institutions, the officials had barred the parking of any private
vehicles near the school premises and directed the employees of the institute to
park their vehicles adjacent to the boundary wall. However, these parameters
were never followed by the concerned authorities.

It has been
learnt that there are a number of schools that are keen and desirous of
implementing the directive on security measures issued by the Sindh
government.

Unfortunately, their efforts have been hindered by the
non-cooperative attitude of residents living in private houses bordering such
schools. In this context, a mother of two girls studying in Dawood Public School
(a girls-only institution with 1500 students) expressed her fear.

She stated that the school has been unable to close
the gates constructed by the next door neighbours which open into the school's
children park, giving the neighbours and their guests access to the girls'
playing ground.

She was concerned that such entrances may lead to
unwarranted entry of anti-social elements which could result in an untoward
incident, jeopardising the safety and security of the school and students.

When contacted, the school's officials clarified that the case has been
taken up with the concerned government department (Karachi Building Control
Authority (KBCA) and final decision is awaited.

The Chief Secretary
Sindh had issued several security measures to the private schools which are yet
to be implemented.

The parents criticised that it seems the government
would wake up only after another incident takes place involving the education
institution and innocent students.

Some schools such as the Mama Parsi
School, located at Main M.A. Jinnah Road, have increased the height of its
boundary wall as well as most branches of the City School.

But many schools
situated in Nazimabad and North Nazimabad, others located in the neighbourhood
of Tahir Villa near Gulberg Roundabout (Gulberg Town), from Gulshan Roundabout
to Zia-ul-Haq Colony (Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town), schools located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal,
Block-6 have not implemented the measures till filing of this report.

As
per the Emergency Response Plan 2009, all private institutions are required to
upgrade and augment security measures as stated in the plan. However, a survey
to the above mentioned places revealed that very few schools had make
arrangements in this regards.

No support for schools
Karachi: The managements of many schools have said that they were not
getting support from the parents and guardians of the students. Most of them
claimed that parents have taken stance that schools were already taking huge
amount in lieu of monthly tuition fees and other annual charges, so it is their
job to invest some money to protect students.

Moreover, they added that
parking issues could not be solved as due to the narrow roads and streets, the
management of the schools could not install road barriers.

Most of the private
schools are operating in non-commercial places and any obstacle installed for
the safety of school children would become a hassle for other residents of the
area.

The ignorance of the government over security issues has increased
the concern of the parents. They have said that schools are not installing
cameras and fire extinguishers as they are not interested in spending a huge sum
on these precautionary measures. The authorities have not visited schools and no
explanation letter has been issued so far.

The training of teaching and
administrative staff in case of emergency, is also not applicable at many
places, the school's management has not give it a priority.

The
restrictions on the entry of unauthorised individuals near the premise of the
schools were also not being followed by the school's management as well as the
authorities concerned.

Till the filing of this report, pushcart vendors and
other small business operators were seen operating near the schools.

Medical universities to start BSc Nursing programme
Karachi: The Liaquat University of Health and Medical Sciences, the
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (former Chandka Medical College) and the Lyari
University are likely to begin a BSc nursing programme to train qualified
nurses, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said on Tuesday.

Chairing a
meeting about the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme at the CM
House, Shah said that all institutions and departments should work together to
make this programme successful.

He also set up a committee to furnish
suggestions for running the youth development programme on a permanent basis
because it was being replicated in other provinces and countries as
well.

Sindh Technical Training minister Abdul Salam Thaheem; CM's advisor
for planning and development, Dr Kaiser Bengali; the additional chief secretary
(development) and the SITE managing director will be members of the
committee.

Participants of the meeting were informed that around 75,000
young people would be trained this year under this programme because Rs2.5
billion have been earmarked for the year 2009-10.

The provincial
coordinator of the programme, Karim Bux Siddiqi, said that under-training youths
were getting Rs5,000 to Rs7,000 per month.

He said that around 51,404
young people were supposed to be trained in the first phase of the programme;
out of this, around 34,425 young people have already been trained at a cost of
over Rs1,857 million (Rs47,754 per trainee).

The provincial coordinator
of the programme said that around 56,960 young people were being trained
in the second phase of the programme, for which over Rs2,244 million have been
earmarked; Rs228 million plus have already been released, bringing the expense
per trainee to Rs39,404.

Ban on teachers postings
Karachi: District Officer Education, Female, Elementary, Farnaz has violated the
recommendation of Chief Secretary and sent a female teacher on detailment to
another school, it has been learnt.

Despite the ban on detailment and
postings, Farnaz acknowledged the request of Assistant District Officer (ADOE),
Education, Elementary, Zahida Bughio and released an office order in favour of a
teacher.

Detailment is a system through which several people are either
promoted or transferred to other departments and this process denies the
deserving candidates their due promotion.

According to the notification
order, No.DOE/Elem/F/CDGK/(155-58)/ 01, Tasneem Qadri, a primary school teacher
of Government Girls Primary School, Block-6, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, is allowed to work
as 'In Charge Headmistress' in Government Girls Primary School, Block-1,
Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

The headmistress of the said school, Munawer Sultana has
been directed to report to the office of the ADOE Elementary (F) Gulshan-e-Iqbal
Town for further duty. No action against the irregularity has been taken till
the filling of this report.

Ghalib poetry in English
Karachi: I want to inform the new generation, which is born and bred in
Canada and other western countries, about Ghalib, his poetry and his genius. I
want to tell them about the Urdu Language and its rich poetry traditions and
that is the reason for me translating Ghalib in English, said Ziauddin Ahmed
earnestly.

Ahmed is a writer who has been living in Canada for more than
20 years but, as he says, "I am embedded in family roots and literary traditions
and that has allowed me to retain my love for Urdu besides trying my hand in
English writing. In this translation of Ghalib, my attempt has been to cover two
aspects, translate verse into verse and portray the essence and theme of
Ghalib's thoughts, of course as I understand them," he explained.

He
agrees that he might have drifted a little to capture the essence of poetry
while translating the verses but reminded that "this makes the narration more
palatable and attractive. A translation can never equal the original, yet making
it attractive, perhaps motivates the reader to prod along to the end".

Ahmed spoke about the Urdu-speaking Diaspora in Canada and said that
there are families who try their best to acquaint their children of their
language and tradition. "The parents, most of them, want to teach Urdu to their
children but living in a community with different languages and a completely
different environment, it becomes very difficult.

So it is my idea and endeavour
to acquaint the younger generation with Ghalib and the background in which he
(Ghalib) composed his poetry. I also intend to elaborate the hidden and
concealed meaning of some of the verses. It would reveal the extent of depth and
emotional experience Ghalib was capable of fathoming, expression and narration,"
he said.

Ahmed acquired a literary taste and linguistic excellence,
among others, from his aunt, the acclaimed Urdu novelist A.R. Khatoon and his
uncle Professor Ahmed Ali, a diplomat and scholar. "I am indebted to both of
them. It was not possible to be with them and not to be 'intoxicated' by the
beauty of Urdu literature," he remarked.

Another fact about Ahmed is
also surprising. Other than having a Masters in Physics, he has also written a
collection of essays titled 'Thought Provoking Essays: For the Rational and
Curious Minds' and compiled 'Celestial Marriage', a new age commentary on
Islamic thought. He has also translated various Urdu poems, based on Sufism and
Philosophy, in English. The news